1933 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Phantom II Roadster
Henry Royce’s final personal design debuted in September 1929, introducing an entirely new chassis that transformed Rolls-Royce’s approach to coachbuilding. Unlike the Phantom I, which carried over much of its Silver Ghost underpinnings, the Phantom II featured a completely redesigned, lower-slung frame with the radiator positioned farther back.
Offered on 144-inch and 150-inch wheelbases, this new platform allowed coachbuilders to craft sleeker, more modern bodywork in contrast to the more upright designs of earlier years.
The 7,668cc (7.7-liter) overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine retained the Phantom I’s basic configuration (two blocks of three cylinders with a common aluminum cylinder head) but incorporated extensive revisions. Engineers redesigned the combustion chambers and introduced a crossflow cylinder head with intake and exhaust manifolds on opposite sides.
The magneto/coil dual ignition system was retained. These updates provided smoother operation and improved performance, particularly in the higher-performance Continental specification, while easily accommodating heavier coachwork.
The Phantom II chassis quickly became a favorite among leading coachbuilders, serving as the foundation for some of the most elegant and technically advanced designs of the early 1930s.
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